Controller Transport Prohibition for Continuous Sheet Seam Printing

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Solution Overview

Problem

In printing apparatuses that handle continuous sheets, there is a challenge in preventing printing on unintended seam portions when connecting two sheets, leading to potential errors and waste due to user-operated transport of sheets during the connection process.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a controller that prohibits the transport of the continuous sheet when the trailing end is detected, ensuring that printing is stopped and resumed only after the sheets are connected, thereby preventing printing on the seam portion by maintaining a transport prohibition period until the connection is complete.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the continuous sheet is permitted to be transported in response to user operation during connection process, then ease of operation is improved, but printing precision deteriorates due to unintended printing on seam portions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser operation freedomVSAvoidprinting position accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies preliminary anti-action by detecting the trailing end of the continuous sheet and automatically prohibiting transport operations before the user can inadvertently move the sheet during the connection process. This preemptive measure prevents unintended printing on seam portions while maintaining user freedom to operate the device normally during non-critical phases.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

The system employs feedback mechanisms where the detection result of the trailing end is fed back to the control unit, which then adjusts the transport prohibition state accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures that transport is prohibited only when necessary (during connection process) and permitted otherwise, resolving the contradiction between operational freedom and printing precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If printing is performed continuously without transport prohibition, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to printing errors on connected sheets

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprinting continuityVSAvoidprinting quality

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by detecting the trailing end and establishing transport prohibition before the connection process occurs. This advance preparation ensures that sheets are properly connected before printing resumes, preventing printing errors on seam portions while minimizing interruption to the printing workflow.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The transport prohibition state is made dynamic rather than static, allowing the system to automatically transition between permitted and prohibited states based on real-time detection of sheet conditions. This dynamic control maintains high productivity by permitting transport during normal operation while ensuring reliability by prohibiting transport during connection processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11169477B2Information processing apparatus and non-transitory computer readable medium

Publication Date: 2021.11.09 FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP

AI summary

An information processing apparatus includes a controller configured to, if it is determined that a connecting process of connecting a continuous sheet and another continuous sheet to each other is to be executed when a trailing end of the continuous sheet transported by a printing unit is detected, prohibit the continuous sheet from being transported in response to a user's operation at a time when the trailing end of the continuous sheet is detected.